Human toll weighs on Colts as losing season winds down
Dec. 28—INDIANAPOLIS — As Nick Foles addressed the media Monday night, the stress of this nightmare season for the Indianapolis Colts was etched into every line on his 33-year-old face.
The quarterback did not play well in a 20-3 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers. Hardly anyone on one of the NFL's most impotent offenses did.
Foles is the third man to start under center this season to go along with three offensive coordinators and two head coaches. It's been the kind of chaotic campaign this franchise has managed to avoid for the better part of three decades.
And it's taking a toll on everyone within its gnarly reach.
As Foles tried to explain what it was like throwing three interceptions and absorbing seven sacks during his first start in a calendar year, he began to discuss the human aspect of playing this kids' game.
"At the end of the day, we're people, too," Foles said. "So I think that's the part of the game that sometimes gets lost with all the fantasy football and everything — like, they're human beings. I know I've had neighbors before that they're with me through a season and they're football fans, and by the end of it they're like, 'We don't look at football the same. You're just a person. You're just like us.'
"And that's the thing. We have an opportunity to be role models up here. And that's why we do it, too. Because there are a lot of kids that are looking at us and want to do this, and we want to set a good example."
The Colts (4-10-1) have lost five straight games and are playing out the string of a lost season.
A head coach search looms in two weeks, even if interim head coach Jeff Saturday figures to be a "great candidate" for the full-time job as owner Jim Irsay said during an interview on ESPN before Monday night's game.
A decision on the direction at quarterback should soon follow, and there seems to be little chance any of the three current players at the position on the roster will be the starter in 2023.
Those situations will make the headlines, and speculation about how they'll turn out will overshadow games against the New York Giants on Sunday and the Houston Texans in the season's final week.
In between, there will be a lot of talk about the "meaningless" nature of the final two games and the need for Indianapolis to lose and maximize its draft position.
All of that is normal when things go off the rails in the NFL. But so is the very human toll it takes on the players.
Less than a half hour after Foles spoke in the interview room, Parris Campbell held court with a handful of cameramen and reporters beside his locker.
He's two games away from completing his first healthy season after being drafted in the second round out of Ohio State in 2019. And he's a little more than two months away from reaching free agency.
Campbell doesn't even try to pretend the future isn't weighing on his mind.
"I'm human," he said. "I think about that stuff all the time. I talk to my wife about that stuff all the time just because we've got kids. My son's about to be 5 years old. My daughter's about to be 1. The uncertainty of things is a little scary, but that's the nature of the business.
"And, at the end of the day ... I've been healthy this whole season. I feel like when opportunities came my way, I made plays. So all I can do is just let God handle the rest, just put it in his hands at that point. But I'm going to continue to be myself (these final two weeks), just bring that professional and that want-to attitude every day to work and just go to work and give it all I've got. That's all I can do."
The situation's very similar for linebacker Bobby Okereke, who is the team's second-leading tackler and is scheduled to hit the open market for the first time.
Other players are at the other end of the spectrum.
Wide receiver Alec Pierce and tight end Jelani Woods are trying to finish out strong rookie seasons and prove they deserve a bigger role with whatever regime is in power next season.
Defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo has proven he's finally healthy, and he's taking advantage of the opportunity afforded by another season-ending injury for Tyquan Lewis. Playing on the edge and in the interior, Odeyingbo had 1.5 sacks against the Chargers, and he has 3.5 sacks the past two weeks.
He was drafted in the second round out of Vanderbilt in 2021 despite rehabbing a torn Achilles, and he's beginning to live up to his vast potential.
"We're blessed to be able to play this game as our job and family," Odeyingbo said. "So, at the end of the day, you kind of just have to count your blessings on the positives and look how you can get better."
Which brings everything full circle to Foles.
He knows time has run out on this season, and it's running low for his career. A former Super Bowl MVP, he's seen the highs and lows the NFL has to offer, and he's thankful for experiencing it all.
"There are so many kids out there that dream about playing at this level, and you want to believe that guys are going to give it everything they have every day," Foles said. "Because this is something you look forward to as a kid, and it's just unfortunate sometimes you can give it everything you have and the outcome is not what you thought. And that's the hard part of this game.
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